Requesting Individual Letters of Evaluation for Pre-Health File

How Many Individual Letters Do I Need?
Six letters are required for a committee letter packet, and no more than six letters may be included in a cover letter packet. Of the six individual letters, three letters should be from science faculty, one letter should be from a non-science faculty member, one letter should be from a health professional, and the sixth letter is a “wild card“ letter. The wild card letter could be from a research mentor, employer, or someone associated with your volunteer work or extracurricular activities.

General Information on Requesting Individual Letters
It is best to request your letter/s at least 4-6 weeks in advance. Provide the evaluator with your curriculum vitae, personal statement draft, and transcripts. We, along with the health professional schools, require that all letters of evaluation be on official letterhead, signed, dated and include your full name and the full name of the evaluator. Letters of evaluation should be addressed generally, such as “To Whom it May Concern” or “Dear Dental Admissions”. Click here for letter of evaluation guidelines for letter writers. This document makes suggestions for what should be addressed in an individual letter of evaluation.

How to Request Letters from UM Faculty (with whom you’ve taken a course and received credit)
Once you receive the faculty member’s consent, you must complete a request for a pink sheet form. Return the completed request for a pink sheet form to the Office of Pre-Health Advising and Mentoring either in person or as an email attachment to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). The information you list on that form will then be transferred to an actual Pink Sheet and sent to the designated faculty member by the Pre-Health Office. The faculty member will then return the completed pink sheet along with a separate written letter of evaluation to the Office of Pre-Health Advising and Mentoring either as a pdf via email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address),interoffice mail (Ungar Building, Room 103, Locator Code 4214), or fax (305-284-8278).

How to Request Letters from Professional/Administrative (“Outside/Wild Card”) Evaluators
Pink Sheets are used ONLY for instructors with whom you have taken a course from at UM and received a grade. For all other evaluators (e.g. physician, dentist, employer, etc.) ask the evaluator to write a favorable letter on your behalf and ask the evaluator to return the letter to the Office of Pre-Health Advising and Mentoring either as a pdf via email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), regular mail (1365 Memorial Drive, Ungar Building, Room 103, Coral Gables, FL 33146,), or fax (305-284-8278).

How Letters are Submitted to the Pre-Health Office
All letters of evaluation written by faculty and other evaluators are confidential. All letters must be submitted to the Office of Pre-Health Advising and Mentoring directly by the evaluator(s). Letters may be submitted either as a pdf via email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), mail (1365 Memorial Drive, Ungar Building, Room 103, Coral Gables, FL 33146,), or fax (305-284-8278). Emailed submission of letters is preferred. And remember, we, along with the health professional schools, require that all letters of evaluation be on official letterhead, signed, dated and include your full name and the full name of the evaluator.

How Do I Know Which of My Individual Letters Have Been Received by the Pre-Health Office?
To view which and how many of your individual letters of evaluation have been received by the Office of Pre-Health Advising and Mentoring, login to Blackboard, click on the courses tab at the top of the page, scroll down to the Office of Pre-Health Advising and Mentoring link. This link will take you to a new page. Click on the “My Letters of Evaluation” tab on the right hand side. If a letter has been received by the Office on your behalf, you will be able to view the last name of the evaluator and the date the letter was received. If a letter does not appear on Blackboard, contact that letter writer directly to verify the status of your letter.

Note: Our office does not submit letters to master’s or other graduate programs.